Australia Law Chalks Up a Victory for Little Sidewalk Artists

Anti-Graffiti Law Bans Children From Chalking in Public Spaces—But Not for Much Longer

May 8, 2014 5:24 a.m. ET

NEWCASTLE, Australia—Olive Cutcliffe has little in common with street artist Banksy, other than a shared love of drawing on public property. For one thing, she's 2 ½ years old. Plus her sidewalk scribbles are in chalk, which washes off in the rain.

But for the past quarter of a century, Olive and thousands of children like her have been defined in Australian law as a public menace. Graffiti regulations in New South Wales state, in place since 1988, put vandals who deface bridges and buildings with spray paint in their...